Pune: DIAT develops medical bed isolation system for COVID19 patients
Pune, 28 July 2020: Due to the continuous increase of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) positive patients, the requirement of the number of beds are increasing day by day. According to a projection by the Pune Municipal Corporation, the cases will rise to over two lakh by August end and there will shortage of thousands of beds for the patients.
Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, (DIAT) a Deemed to be University near Khadakwasla, has developed Aashray (आश्रय), the Medical Bed Isolation System to combat COVID-19 by stopping/ minimizing the spread of virus/ infection released by the patient. This is a low cost, reusable solution to maintain proper isolation of COVID-19 patients by creating suction /negative pressure near exhale, and further filtering and disinfecting the aerosol.
According to DIAT, Bed Isolation System envelopes are made up of specialized material and manufacturing process with transparent and translucent 7.5(l) ×7(w) ×6.5(h) ft3 size supported on medical grade materials structure. The product is modular and portable in design and can be suitable for different requirements such as institutional, hospitals and home/ individual quarantine. The envelope is reusable as it is antibacterial-antifungal and can be sanitized.
Each envelope is capable of housing one set of bed, table and chair along with some walking space. The width of the envelope can be adjusted as per the availability of space. The envelope is opaque up to 3 ft from bottom to maintain the privacy of the patient.
The entire envelope is maintained at a low pressure (suction) with adjustable flow rate to restrain the spread of virus/ infection inside the hall/ ICU. Each envelope is connected to the main duct equipped with UV light and filter circuit of Pre, fine and HEPA filter (recommended for medical application) and suction blower. The cross-flow of air from the top of the envelope towards the main duct is regulated (with a flap valve) as per comfort conditions of the patient. The virus/contaminants are continuously sucked through the duct and accumulated at the filters which are projected with UV light. The suction blower throws the filtered and contamination-free air to the outside environment.
As per prototype manufacturer (M/s Cleancore Solutions Pvt Ltd. Bhosari, Pune), the cost of the setup for a unit of 10 beds is 1.0 Lakhs approximately and for home quarantine will be 15,000 (approx) for a single bed.
